Theo Walcott's early strike gives jittery Arsenal edge over Udinese

Tuesday 16 August 2011 16.45 EDT
First published on Tuesday 16 August 2011 16.45 EDT

The one part of Arsenal wholly intact at the end was the hope of advancing to the Champions League proper. As if losing Cesc Fábregas to Barcelona and fearing that Samir Nasri will leave for Manchester City were not enough, this alarming night saw them endure more injuries. Johan Djourou came off the bench but had to be replaced.

In the middle of all the churning of personnel, the consolation remained of Theo Walcott's early goal. He might also have struck towards the end but the attempt was not quite accurate enough to beat Samir Handanovic. It was as well for Arsenal that a polished Udinese, whose Serie A campaign is yet to start, themselves lacked sharpness in the goalmouth.

The otherwise impressive captain and centre-forward Antonio Di Natale ceased to be so collected when sending a late free-kick far off target. Understandably there were just glimpses of fluency from Arsenal, who mostly depended on perseverance. There is no cause for apology when the club comes through unscathed despite being strafed by difficulties.

Although the 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson, a close season signing from Charlton, is a right-back he had to make his competitive debut with Arsenal on the left. This is the antithesis of all that we associate with Wenger, the builder of teams that have an exquisite appearance. On this occasion, there had to be a grimace on the face of Arsenal as they saw out this win.

That should not have surprised us in a spell when all Wenger's preparations have been undermined by factors beyond his control. It will be no easy task to put the upheaval behind them, but the grit shown here will be of use. That goalless draw at St James' Park was no evidence of a renaissance but Arsenal at least ensured that there were, at worst, only minor scratches to morale.While Wenger is a man of vision, even he has to muddle through on occasion and, if all goes well, that is liable to be how Arsenal take their place in the Champions League itself.

In its own fashion, this contest was engrossing. It always helps when each side believes the other to be vulnerable. Arsenal had the confidence to score near the start and Udinese replied with enterprise. The freshness of the match belied the fact that so much was at stake. Walcott may have peeved Fabio Capello with his account of the stern environment of the England camp, but he can be in no danger of exclusion at his club when he volleys a goal as he did here. The attacker struck following fluent buildup, with Bacary Sagna breaking on the right before Aaron Ramsey crossed to the near post in the fourth minute.

After that there was enterprise from Udinese. The Serie A club might not have come to the fore if Arsenal had been ruthless but the players squandered their invitation to demoralise Francesco Guidolin's side. Gervinho, who gave a good display, made no contact with the header glanced his way by Laurent Koscielny at a corner-kick in the ninth minute. In open play, Arsenal lacked a convincing focal point in the centre of attack as Robin van Persie was suspended.

The opposition were also tantalising, particularly in the 12th minute when Di Natale struck the bar with a free-kick from 30 yards. Udinese's preparedness and match fitness were theoretically open to doubt but those factors were not on view. The onus lay with Wenger's men to unsettle them. In the circumstances it was therefore galling that Jack Wilshere continues to be an absentee because of his ankle injury.

Arsenal could have drawn a misleading comfort beforehand from the realisation that Udinese also appear to have been weakened by the sale of players since last season. Alexis Sánchez has Fábregas as a team-mate now both are at Camp Nou, but Udinese were neither demoralised or diminished. Wenger's line-up seemed not so much to miss Fábregas as to lack someone who could staunch the flowing play of Udinese.

Arsenal declined to relieve the pressure on themselves in the second half and there was an episode when Walcott turned the ball aimlessly into the penalty area after Tomas Rosicky had released him. The hosts had to count on the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to protect them, particularly in the 74th minute when he turned behind a free-kick from Di Natale. Arsenal persevered and, with this clean sheet, will expect to advance.